1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of removing a photoresist pattern formed on a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fabrication of integrated circuits includes a variety of processes. Among these, photolithography which is used to form an integrated circuit pattern is performed using a photoresist. More specifically, photolithography is carried out by coating a semiconductor substrate with a photoresist and then radiating UV light onto the photoresist to thus form a pattern.
The photoresist pattern formed on the substrate in this way is required to be removed after completion of processes related to the pattern. In order to remove the photoresist pattern, a dry cleaning process for removing a photoresist pattern using oxygen plasma is widely available. However, because a variety of processes are performed on the substrate and the photoresist pattern after forming the photoresist pattern, it is not easy to definitely remove the photoresist pattern formed on the substrate even by the conventional process as above.
In particular, in the case where ion implantation for implanting dopant ions in the surface of a substrate having a photoresist pattern formed thereon is performed, removal of the photoresist pattern becomes more difficult. In this case, because the dopant ions may also be implanted in the photoresist pattern, it is not easy to completely remove the photoresist pattern by means of the conventional process using oxygen plasma.
With the goal of solving such problems, a wet cleaning process for removing a photoresist pattern using an organic solvent or an acid compound is being utilized, but is problematic because a harmful chemical is used in a large amount and the disposal cost thereof is high.